You know you've eyeballed them at the grocery store. They hang out in the produce section right next to the bananas. From time to time, might even be mistaken for bananas, but overly sized and sometimes rotten looking (black.) The plantain is a surprisingly versatile fruit that is as much a staple in tropical cultures as potatoes are to us Americans. Starring in roles from appetizers to dessert...

It's Valentines weekend…we all know what that means: Chocolate galore! And while we should partake in treating ourselves in moderation, we can tend to get carried away. I mean who really eats only ONE chocolate out of the ten pound assorted box? We should most definitely indulge in these items appropriately, but when you get the notion to have "just one more" it helps to have a "healthy al...

Olive oil, peanut butter and avocado are just a few foods that have gone from feared to revered over the last few years for their status as sources of "heart healthy fats." With February being heart month, I thought we should shine some light on this "hot topic" and get down to the nitty gritty on the details surrounding healthy fats. Rightly so, they should be celebrated for the benefits they...

On a snowy, blowy Midwest evening, nothing sounds better after a long day's work than a warm, hearty meal. But after a full day of working, parenting, running errands the like, most Americans struggle to put together a meal to sit down to, thus the ever thriving "to go" food industry. Low and behold an underused solution to this weeknight meal dilemma, enter: the slow cooker. Crockpots are a gr...

It's an ancient tradition, but over the past few months, boiling animal bones has become a health craze. Speculated to provide health benefits such as healthier skin and hair, improved anxiety/mood levels, decreased joint pain, reduced inflammation arthritis, and better overall digestive health, it seems everyone wants to try this new food trend.
So, the obvious question exists: what is bone b...

I for one am a breakfast food fanatic! What's more, I absolutely love the smell of bacon in the morning! But what if I told you eggs and bacon aren't as simple as they once were. There are constantly new products out on the market targeting consumers as being a "healthier" alternative or a "new and improved" version of a classic. Ironically, the trend of making things seem simpler, less mo...

New Years' resolutions ---lose 20 pounds by spring break, run a marathon this summer, bench press 200 pounds by your birthday---how's that working for you? Each year we set ourselves up for failure. How many times have you put yourself on a "diet" only to fall off the wagon a few days later? I know in my lifetime I have gained and lost many pounds by doing just that. Starving myself, eating onl...